WO2023020297A1

WO2023020297A1 - Relay selection method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2023020297A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/110436
Authority: WO
Inventors: 邢玮俊; 李文正; 吴问付
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2021-08-16
Filing date: 2022-08-05
Publication date: 2023-02-23
Also published as: CN115707061A

Abstract

The present application provides a relay selection method and apparatus. The method comprises: a first terminal device determines a first relay selection policy applicable to a first relay device; and the first terminal device determines, according to the first relay selection policy, whether to establish a sidelink connection with the first relay device. According to the solution of the present application, before determining whether a network can be accessed by means of a certain relay device, the terminal device first determines a relay selection policy applicable to the relay device. In contrast, if the relay selection policy used by the terminal device is not applicable to the relay device, the communication quality of a sidelink connection may not achieve an expected effect even if the sidelink connection is established between the terminal device and the relay device. Therefore, by using the solution of the present application, after the terminal device establishes the sidelink connection with the relay device, the communication quality between the terminal device and the relay device may achieve the expected effect, such that a user may have better experience.

Description

Relay selection method and device

This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application with application number 202110935416.2 and application title "Relay Selection Method and Device" filed with the China Patent Office on August 16, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and more specifically, to a relay selection method and device.

Background technique

In order to improve the utilization of wireless spectrum, the cellular communication network introduces proximity-based services (ProSe) communication. When the terminal device is out of network coverage or the communication quality with the access network device is poor, the terminal device can perform auxiliary communication through the relay device. That is, the terminal device communicates with the relay device, and the relay device communicates with the access network device, so that the terminal device can access the network and obtain corresponding services. However, when a terminal device selects a relay device, the selected relay device may not be suitable, resulting in that the communication quality between the terminal device and the relay device cannot achieve an expected effect, affecting user experience. Therefore, how to select a suitable relay device for a terminal device when performing ProSe communication is an urgent problem to be solved.

Contents of the invention

The present application provides a relay selection method and device.

In the first aspect, a relay selection method is provided, including:

The first terminal device determines a first relay selection policy applicable to the first relay device. The first terminal device determines whether to establish a side link connection with the first relay device according to the first relay selection policy.

According to the solution of the present application, before judging whether the terminal device can access the network through a certain relay device, it first determines the relay selection policy applicable to the relay device. In contrast, if the relay selection strategy used by the terminal device is not suitable for the relay device, even if a side link connection is established between the terminal device and the relay device, the communication quality of the side link connection may be The expected effect cannot be achieved. On the one hand, it will affect the user experience, and on the other hand, it will also cause a certain waste of signaling (the side link connection may need to be re-established). Therefore, by adopting the solution of the present application, after the terminal device and the relay device establish a side link connection, the communication quality between the terminal device and the relay device can achieve the expected effect, thereby enabling the user to have a better experience. To a certain extent, signaling overhead can also be saved.

In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

The first terminal device acquires first information, where the first information indicates N relay selection strategies and N application scopes, the N application scopes correspond to the N relay selection strategies one-to-one, and N is a positive integer. The first terminal device acquires second information from the first relay device, where the second information includes location information of the first relay device.

The first terminal device determines the first relay selection policy applicable to the first relay device, including:

The first terminal device determines a first relay selection strategy among the N relay selection strategies according to the second information, where the location of the first relay device is within an applicable range corresponding to the first relay selection strategy.

According to the solution of the present application, the terminal device can obtain multiple relay selection policies and the scope of application of each relay selection policy. On this basis, when a terminal device receives a discovery message from a relay device, it can select a relay device applicable to the relay device from multiple relay selection strategies according to the location information of the relay device included in the discovery message. Follow the selection strategy.

The first terminal device acquires first indication information from the first relay device, where the first indication information includes information about a first relay selection policy.

The first terminal device determines a first relay selection policy according to the first indication information.

According to the solution of the present application, the discovery message sent by the relay device may carry the relay selection policy applicable to the relay device. On this basis, when the terminal device receives the discovery message sent by the relay device, it can determine the relay selection strategy applicable to the relay device.

The first terminal device determines a second relay selection policy applicable to the second relay device. The first terminal device determines whether to establish a side link connection with the second relay device according to the second relay selection policy.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, the first relay selection policy includes a first threshold, and the second relay selection policy includes a second threshold. The method also includes:

The first terminal device receives a first discovery message from the first relay device, and receives a second discovery message from the second relay device.

The determination of whether to establish a side link connection with the first relay device and the determination of whether to establish a side link connection with the second relay device include:

When the received power of the first discovery message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is less than or equal to the second threshold, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the first relay device. When the received power of the first discovery message is less than or equal to the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the second relay device.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, the first relay selection policy further includes a first priority, and the second relay selection policy further includes a second priority.

When the received power of the first discovery message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold, when the first priority is higher than the second priority, the first terminal device Determine to establish a side link connection with the first relay device. When the first priority is lower than the second priority, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the second relay device.

According to the solution of the present application, when a suitable relay device cannot be determined according to the first threshold and the second threshold, a suitable relay device may continue to be selected according to the first priority and the second priority.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, the first priority is associated with the load of the first access network device, and the second priority is associated with the load of the second access network device.

Wherein, the first relay device is within the service range of the first access network device, and the second relay device is within the service range of the second access network device.

It should be understood that when the load of the first access network device is high, the first priority is low. When the load of the first access network device is low, the first priority is high. Similarly, when the load of the second access network device is high, the second priority is low. When the load of the second access network device is low, the second priority is high.

In the second aspect, a relay selection method is provided, including:

The first terminal device acquires first information, where the first information indicates N relay selection strategies and N application scopes, the N application scopes correspond to the N relay selection strategies one-to-one, and N is a positive integer. The first terminal device acquires second information from the first relay device, where the second information includes location information of the first relay device. According to the second information, the first terminal device determines that the first relay device is applicable to the first relay selection strategy among the N relay selection strategies, where the location of the first relay device is at the location corresponding to the first relay selection strategy. within the scope of application.

In a possible implementation manner, the N relay selection policies may be relay selection policies of the cell where the first terminal device is located and neighboring cells.

In another possible implementation manner, the cell where the first terminal device is located may be further divided into N areas, and the N relay selection policies correspond to the N areas one by one.

According to the solution of the present application, the terminal device can obtain multiple relay selection policies and the scope of application of each relay selection policy. On this basis, when a terminal device receives a discovery message from a relay device, it can select a relay device applicable to the relay device from multiple relay selection strategies according to the location information of the relay device included in the discovery message. Follow the selection strategy. In contrast, if the relay selection strategy used by the terminal device is not suitable for the relay device, even if a side link connection is established between the terminal device and the relay device, the communication quality of the side link connection may be The expected effect cannot be achieved. On the one hand, it will affect the user experience, and on the other hand, it will also cause a certain waste of signaling (the side link connection may need to be re-established). Therefore, by adopting the solution of the present application, after the terminal device and the relay device establish a side link connection, the communication quality between the terminal device and the relay device can achieve the expected effect, thereby enabling the user to have a better experience. To a certain extent, signaling overhead can also be saved.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the method further includes:

The first terminal device acquires third information from the second relay device, where the third information includes location information of the second relay device. According to the third information, the first terminal device determines that the second relay device is applicable to the second relay selection strategy among the N relay selection strategies, where the location of the second relay device is at the location corresponding to the second relay selection strategy within the scope of application.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first relay selection strategy includes a first threshold, the second information is carried in the first discovery message, and the second relay selection strategy includes a second gate limit value, the third information is carried in the second discovery message. The method also includes:

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the first relay selection policy further includes a first priority, and the second relay selection policy further includes a second priority. When the received power of the first discovery message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold, when the first priority is higher than the second priority, the first terminal device Determine to establish a side link connection with the first relay device. When the first priority is lower than the second priority, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the second relay device.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the first priority is associated with the load of the first access network device, and the second priority is associated with the load of the second access network device. Wherein, the first relay device is within the service range of the first access network device, and the second relay device is within the service range of the second access network device.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the first discovery message further includes third priority information, the second discovery message further includes fourth priority information, and the received power of the first discovery message greater than the first threshold and the receiving power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold, when the third priority is higher than the fourth priority, the first terminal device determines to establish Side link connection. When the third priority is lower than the fourth priority, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the second relay device.

Wherein, the third priority is associated with the load of the first relay device, and the fourth priority is associated with the load of the second relay device.

In the third aspect, a relay selection method is provided, including:

The first terminal device acquires first indication information from the first relay device, where the first indication information includes information about a first relay selection policy, where the first relay selection policy is a relay selection policy applicable to the first relay device. The first terminal device determines whether to establish a side link connection with the first relay device according to the first relay selection policy.

According to the solution of the present application, the discovery message sent by the relay device may carry the relay selection policy applicable to the relay device. On this basis, when the terminal device receives the discovery message sent by the relay device, it can determine the relay selection strategy applicable to the relay device. In contrast, if the relay selection strategy used by the terminal device is not suitable for the relay device, even if a side link connection is established between the terminal device and the relay device, the communication quality of the side link connection may be The expected effect cannot be achieved. On the one hand, it will affect the user experience, and on the other hand, it will also cause a certain waste of signaling (the side link connection may need to be re-established). Therefore, by adopting the solution of this application, after the terminal device and the relay device establish a side link connection, the communication quality between the terminal device and the relay device can achieve the expected effect, so that the user can have a better experience. To a certain extent, signaling overhead can also be saved.

In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes:

The first terminal device acquires second indication information from the second relay device, where the second indication information includes information about a second relay selection policy, where the second relay selection policy is a relay selection policy applicable to the second relay device. The first terminal device determines whether to establish a side link connection with the second relay device according to the second relay selection policy.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first relay selection strategy includes a first threshold value, the first indication information is carried in the first discovery message, and the second relay selection strategy includes the second For the threshold value, the second indication information is carried in the second discovery message.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the first relay selection strategy further includes a first priority, and the second relay selection strategy further includes a second priority. When the received power of the first discovery message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold, when the first priority is higher than the second priority, the first terminal device Determine to establish a side link connection with the first relay device. When the first priority is lower than the second priority, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the second relay device.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the first priority is associated with the load of the first access network device, and the second priority is associated with the load of the second access network device. Wherein, the first relay device is within the service range of the first access network device, and the second relay device is within the service range of the second access network device.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the first relay selection strategy further includes third priority information, the second relay selection strategy further includes fourth priority information, and in the first discovery When the received power of the message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold, when the third priority is higher than the fourth priority, the first terminal device determines The relay device establishes a sidelink connection. When the third priority is lower than the fourth priority, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the second relay device. Wherein, the third priority is associated with the load of the first relay device, and the fourth priority is associated with the load of the second relay device.

In a fourth aspect, a relay selection method is provided, including:

The first access network device obtains the relay selection policy of the access network device in the neighboring cell, and the applicable scope corresponding to the relay selection policy of the access network device in the neighboring cell.

The first access network device sends first information, where the first information indicates N relay selection strategies and N applicable scopes, the N applicable scopes correspond to the N relay selection strategies one-to-one, and N is a positive integer.

Wherein, the N relay selection policies include the relay selection policy of the first access network device and the relay selection policy of the neighboring cell access network devices.

In the fifth aspect, a relay selection method is provided, including:

The first relay device determines a first relay selection policy, and the first relay selection policy is applicable to the first relay device.

The first relay device sends first indication information, where the first indication information includes information about a first relay selection policy.

In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the communication device includes a module or a unit configured to execute the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, including at least one processor. The memory is used to store computer programs. When the communication device is running, the processor executes the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, including a computer program. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

In a ninth aspect, a chip is provided, and a processing circuit is disposed on the chip, and the processing circuit is configured to execute the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or an instruction), when the computer program is executed, the computer executes any one of the first to fifth aspects. method in one possible implementation.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 shows the architecture of the system to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable.

Fig. 2 shows an example of a schematic interaction diagram of the method proposed in this application.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a schematic interaction diagram of the method proposed in this application.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in this application.

Fig. 5 shows another schematic block diagram of a communication device provided by this application.

Detailed ways

The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows the architecture of a communication system to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable.

Some terms involved in this application will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 .

1. Core network

The core network includes, but is not limited to, data storage management network elements, mobility management network elements, network open network elements, user plane function network elements, and session management network elements.

Wherein, the data storage management network element is a network element used to store and manage the data of the terminal equipment, for example, in a 5G network, it may be a unified data management function network element (unified data management, UDM). In the future communication system, the unified data management function network element may still be a UDM network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The mobility management network element is a network element used to manage the mobility of terminal equipment. For example, in a 4G network, it may be a mobility management entity (mobility management entity, MME), and in a 5G network, it may be Access and mobility management function (access and mobility management function, AMF) network element. In the future communication system, the access and mobility management functional network element may still be an AMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The network exposure network element is responsible for providing network functions to third-party applications. For example, in a 5G network, it can be a network exposure function (NEF) network element. In the future communication system, the network element with the network opening function may still be an NEF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The user plane function network element is responsible for forwarding and receiving user data, for example, in a 5G network, it may be a user plane function (user plane function, UPF) network element. In the future communication system, the user plane functional network element may still be a UPF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The session management network element is responsible for the selection of user plane network elements, Internet protocol (internet protocol, IP) address allocation, session establishment, modification, release, etc. For example, in a 5G network, it may be a session management function (session management function, SMF) network element. In the future communication system, the network element with the session management function may still be an SMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

2. Access network equipment

An access network device is a device that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices. For example, it can be an access point (access point, AP) in WLAN, a base transceiver station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, or a It is a base station (nodeB, NB) in WCDMA, or a gNB in a new wireless system (new radio, NR) system, or an evolved base station (evolutional node B, eNB or eNodeB) in LTE. In a 5G network , and may also be a radio access network device (radio access network, RAN).

3. Terminal equipment

Terminal equipment may refer to user equipment (user equipment, UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a Functional handheld devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in future 5G networks or future evolutions of public land mobile networks (public land mobile network, PLMN) The terminal device and the like are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be understood that the terminal device in this application supports proximity-based services (Proximity-based services, ProSe) communication. That is, the terminal device can establish a side link (side link) connection with the relay device, and access the network through the relay device. The communication between the terminal device and the relay device is through the PC5 interface. When a terminal device accesses the network through a relay device, the terminal device can also be called a remote UE (remote UE).

4. Relay equipment

The relay device also supports ProSe communication. The relay device communicates with the remote UE through the PC5 interface, and the relay device communicates with the access network device through the Uu interface. The relay device may be a terminal device or a wireless access device (for example, an access device deployed by an operator).

The solution proposed in this application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 2 . The solution shown in FIG. 2 can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 1 .

S201. The access network device #1 (an example of the first access network device) acquires a relay selection policy of an access network device in a neighboring cell, and applicable scope information corresponding to the relay selection policy.

The following describes the scope of application information corresponding to the relay selection policy in different situations.

Case 1:

The scope of application includes the range of access network equipment to which the relay selection policy applies.

For example, the scope of application includes identification information of access network devices to which the relay selection policy applies.

Case 2:

The scope of application includes the range of cells to which the relay selection strategy applies.

For example, the scope of application includes identification (cell ID) information of cells to which the relay selection strategy applies.

Case 3:

The scope of application includes the scope of the public land mobile network (PLMN) to which the relay selection strategy is applicable.

For example, the scope of application includes identification (PLMN ID) information of the PLMN to which the relay selection policy applies.

Case 4:

The scope of application includes the geographical scope to which the relay selection policy applies.

For example, the applicable range includes an absolute position range determined by global positioning system (global positioning system, GPS) coordinates to which the relay selection policy applies. In a possible implementation manner, the applicable range may be a GPS coordinate range composed of multiple GPS coordinates.

For another example, the scope of application includes tracking area identity (TAI) information of a tracking area (tracking area, TA) to which the relay selection policy applies.

For another example, the scope of application includes identification (zone ID) information of the zone to which the relay selection policy applies.

It should be understood that the scope of application information may be any one of the above-mentioned cases 1-4, or may be different combinations of the above-mentioned cases 1-4, such as a combination of cases 1 and 2, which is not limited in the present application.

For simplicity of description, the following takes the access network device #2 (an example of the second access network device) as an example for the access network device in the neighboring cell of the access network device #1 to be described. In addition, hereinafter, the relay selection strategy corresponding to the access network device #1 is recorded as the relay selection strategy #1, the applicable scope information corresponding to the relay selection strategy #1 is recorded as the applicable scope #1, and the access network device #2 The corresponding relay selection policy is denoted as relay selection policy #2, and the applicable scope information corresponding to the relay selection policy #2 is denoted as applicable scope #2.

The following describes how the access network device #1 acquires the relay selection policy #2 and the scope of application #2.

Method 1:

The access network device #2 sends the relay selection policy #2 and the scope of application #2 to the access network device #1. Correspondingly, access network device #1 receives relay selection policy #2 and applicable scope #2.

It should be understood that the access network device #1 and the access network device #2 may communicate directly, for example, communicate in a wired or wireless manner.

Method 2:

Access network device #1 and access network device #2 have a common management device.

The access network device #2 may send the relay selection policy #2 and the scope of application #2 to the management device, and the management device then sends the relay selection policy #2 and the scope of application #2 to the access network device #1. Correspondingly, access network device #1 receives relay selection policy #2 and applicable scope #2.

Method 3:

Access network device #1 and access network device #2 have a common management device. The management device pre-configures or generates the relay selection policy #1 and the scope of application #1 corresponding to the access network device #1, and the relay selection policy #2 and the scope of application #2 corresponding to the access network device #2.

In a possible implementation manner, the management device may generate a relay selection policy corresponding to each access network device according to information such as the location or coverage of each access network device.

The management device sends the relay selection policy #2 and the scope of application #2 to the access network device #1.

Method 4:

The relay selection policy #2 and the scope of application #2 are pre-configured in the access network device #1.

In a possible implementation manner, pre-configuration may be performed by the operator when the access network device #1 is installed or when the access network device #1 is configured at the factory.

It should be understood that when the access network devices in the neighboring cell of the access network device #1 also include other access network devices, the relay selection policies of the access network devices in other neighboring cells can be obtained in a manner similar to the above methods 1-4 And the corresponding scope of application information.

S202. Access network device #1 sends first information to terminal device #1 (an example of the first terminal device) within its service range, where the first information includes relay selection policy #1 and applicable scope #1, relay Select policy #2 and scope #2, first threshold information.

In a possible implementation manner, the access network device #1 may acquire the above information about the relay selection policy #1, the scope of application #1, and the first threshold through the management device. Alternatively, the information of the above-mentioned relay selection policy #1, scope of application #1 and the first threshold may be pre-configured in the access network device #1. This application is not limited to this.

It should be understood that the function of the first threshold is: when a certain terminal device within the service range of the access network device #1 receives the power of the third reference signal sent by the access network device #1 less than the first threshold, the terminal A device may initiate the process of selecting a relay device.

The following describes how the access network device #1 sends the first information:

Method 1:

The access network device #1 may send the first information to the terminal device #1 in a broadcast manner.

Method 2:

When the terminal device #1 and the access network device #1 are in a radio resource control (radio resource control, RRC) connection state, the access network device #1 may send the first information to the terminal device #1 through RRC signaling.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: S203, the relay device #1 (an example of the first relay device) within the service range of the access network device #1 acquires the second information. The second information indicates the location of relay device #1. The relay device #2 (an example of the second relay device) within the service range of the access network device #2 acquires the third information. This third information indicates the location of relay device #2.

The second information and the third information can be divided into the following situations.

Case 1:

Corresponding to case 1 in S201, the second information indicates the identifier of the access network device #1. The third information indicates the identity of the access network device #2.

Case 2:

Corresponding to case 2 in S201, the second information indicates the identity of the cell where the relay device #1 is located. The third information indicates the identity of the cell where the relay device #2 is located.

Case 3:

Corresponding to case 3 in S201, the second information indicates the identifier of the PLMN where the relay device #1 is located. The third information indicates the identity of the PLMN where the relay device #2 is located.

Case 4:

Corresponding to case 4 in S201, the second information indicates the geographic location of the relay device #1. The third information indicates the geographic location where the relay device #2 is located.

For example, the second information indicates the GPS coordinates where the relay device #1 is located, or the second information indicates the identifier of the tracking area where the relay device #1 is located, or the second information indicates the area where the relay device #1 is located logo. The third information indicates the GPS coordinates where the relay device #2 is located, or the third information indicates the identifier of the tracking area where the relay device #2 is located, or the third information indicates the identifier of the area where the relay device #2 is located .

It should be understood that the identification of the access network device, the identification of the cell, and the identification of the PLMN in the above-mentioned cases 1-3, and the identification of the tracking area in the case 4, the relay device #1 and the relay device #1 indicated by the identification of the area The position of device #2 may be imprecise; the positions of relay device #1 and relay device #2 indicated by the GPS coordinates in case 4 may be precise.

The following describes how the relay device #1 obtains the second information and the relay device #2 obtains the third information:

Method 1:

The relay device #1 obtains the second information from the access network device #1, and the relay device #2 obtains the third information from the access network device #2. Specifically, the access network device #1 may send the second information to the relay device #1. The access network device #2 may send the third information to the relay device #2.

Method 2:

The second information and the third information are preconfigured. That is, the second information is preconfigured in the relay device #1, and the third information is preconfigured in the relay device #2.

S204. The relay device #1 sends a first discovery message, where the first discovery message includes the second information. Relay device #2 sends a second discovery message, where the second discovery message includes third information.

In a possible implementation manner, the first discovery message may include the first reference signal, and the second discovery message may include the second reference signal.

In a possible implementation manner, the first discovery message may further include third priority information, where the third priority information is associated with the load of relay device #1. When the load of the relay device #1 is high, the third priority is low; when the load of the relay device #1 is low, the third priority is high.

Similarly, the second discovery message may further include fourth priority information, where the fourth priority information is associated with the load of relay device #2. When the load of the relay device #2 is high, the fourth priority is low; when the load of the relay device #2 is low, the fourth priority is high.

In a possible implementation manner, the relay device may send the discovery message in a broadcast manner. That is, the relay device #1 sends the first discovery message in a broadcast manner. The relay device #2 sends the second discovery message in a broadcast manner.

S205. When the power of the third reference signal sent by the access network device #1 received by the terminal device #1 is less than the first threshold, the terminal device #1 may initiate a process of selecting a relay device.

The following describes the process of terminal device #1 selecting a relay device.

In S202, terminal device #1 has acquired first information, and the first information includes relay selection policy #1 and applicable scope #1, relay selection policy #2 and applicable scope #2.

Wherein, the relay selection policy #1 includes the first threshold value. In a possible implementation manner, the relay selection policy #1 further includes first priority information, where the first priority information is associated with the load condition of the access network device #1. That is, when the load of the access network device #1 is relatively high, the first priority may be relatively low. When the load of the access network device #1 is relatively low, the first priority may be relatively high.

Relay selection policy #2 includes a second threshold. In a possible implementation manner, the relay selection policy #2 further includes second priority information, where the second priority information is associated with the load condition of the access network device #2. That is, when the load of the access network device #2 is relatively high, the second priority may be relatively low. When the load of access network device #2 is relatively low, the second priority may be relatively high.

Terminal device #1 has received the first discovery message sent by relay device #1 and the second discovery message sent by relay device #2. Wherein, the first discovery message includes the second information, and the second discovery message includes the third information.

The terminal device #1 determines that the relay device #1 is applicable to the relay selection policy #1 according to the second information. Wherein, the second information indicates the location of the relay device #1, and the location of the relay device #1 is within the applicable range #1 corresponding to the relay selection policy #1.

The following introduces several situations in which the terminal device #1 determines that the relay device #1 is applicable to the relay selection strategy #1 according to the second information:

Case 1:

Corresponding to case 1 in S203, the second information indicates the identifier of the access network device #1. The scope of application #1 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #1 includes the identifier of the access network device #1, and the scope of application #2 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #2 does not include the identifier of the access network device #1. Terminal device #1 determines that relay device #1 is applicable to relay selection policy #1.

Case 2:

Corresponding to case 2 in S203, the second information indicates the identity of the cell #1 where the relay device #1 is located. The applicable scope #1 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #1 includes the identifier of the cell #1, and the applicable scope #2 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #2 does not include the identifier of the cell #1. Terminal device #1 determines that relay device #1 is applicable to relay selection policy #1.

Case 3:

Corresponding to case 3 in S203, the second information indicates the identifier of the PLMN#1 where the relay device #1 is located. The applicable scope #1 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #1 includes the identifier of the PLMN#1, and the applicable scope #2 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #2 does not include the identifier of the PLMN#1. Terminal device #1 determines that relay device #1 is applicable to relay selection policy #1.

Case 4:

Corresponding to case 4 in S203, the second information indicates the geographic location of the relay device #1.

For example, the second information indicates the first GPS coordinate where the relay device #1 is located, the applicable range #1 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #1 is the GPS coordinate range #1 composed of multiple GPS coordinates, and the relay selection strategy #2 The corresponding applicable range #2 is a GPS coordinate range #2 composed of multiple GPS coordinates. The first GPS coordinate is located within the GPS coordinate range #1 and outside the GPS coordinate range #2, and the terminal device #1 determines that the relay device #1 is applicable to the relay selection strategy #1.

For another example, the second information indicates the identifier of the tracking area #1 where the relay device #1 is located, the scope of application #1 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #1 includes the identifier of the tracking area #1, and the relay selection strategy #2 corresponds to Scope #2 does not include the identification of Tracking Area #1. Terminal device #1 determines that relay device #1 is applicable to relay selection policy #1.

For another example, the second information indicates the identifier of the area #1 where the relay device #1 is located, the scope of application #1 corresponding to the relay selection strategy #1 includes the identifier of the area #1, and the applicable domain corresponding to the relay selection strategy #2 The identity of area #1 is not included in scope #2. Terminal device #1 determines that relay device #1 is applicable to relay selection policy #1.

Terminal device #1 determines that relay device #2 is applicable to relay selection policy #2 according to the third information. This process is similar to the terminal device #1 determining that the relay device #1 is applicable to the relay selection strategy #1 according to the second information, and will not be described here.

Terminal device #1 measures reception power #1 of the first discovery message, and measures reception power #2 of the second discovery message. It should be understood that when the first discovery message includes the first reference signal and the second discovery message includes the second reference signal, the received power #1 may be the received power of the first reference signal, and the received power #2 may be the received power of the second reference signal. The received power of the signal.

Terminal device #1 judges whether received power #1 is greater than a first threshold value, and whether received power #2 is greater than a second threshold value.

When the received power #1 is greater than the first threshold and the received power #2 is less than or equal to the second threshold, the terminal device may establish a side link connection with the relay device #1.

When the received power #1 is less than or equal to the first threshold and the received power #2 is greater than the second threshold, the terminal device can establish a side link connection with the relay device #2.

When the received power #1 is greater than the first threshold and the received power #2 is greater than the second threshold, the terminal device can select a suitable relay device to establish a side link according to the first priority to the fourth priority connect.

Specifically, when the first priority is higher than the second priority, the terminal device may establish a side link connection with relay device #1. When the first priority is lower than the second priority, the terminal device can establish a side link connection with the relay device #2.

Alternatively, when the third priority is higher than the fourth priority, the terminal device may establish a side link connection with relay device #1. When the third priority is lower than the fourth priority, the terminal device can establish a side link connection with the relay device #2.

Alternatively, when the first priority is equal to the second priority, the terminal device may continue to select a suitable relay device according to the third priority and the fourth priority.

Or, when the third priority is equal to the fourth priority, the terminal device may continue to select a suitable relay device according to the first priority and the second priority.

In a possible implementation manner, terminal device #1 may acquire first priority information to fourth priority information. When terminal device #1 determines to reduce the load of the access network device, terminal device #1 can preferentially select a relay device according to the first priority information and the second priority information, and then select the relay device according to the first priority information and the second priority information If the information fails to select a suitable relay device, the selection is made according to the third priority information and the fourth priority information; when terminal device #1 determines to reduce the load of the relay device, terminal device #1 can give priority to The third priority information and the fourth priority information select a relay device, and if no suitable relay device can be selected according to the third priority information and the fourth priority information, the Level information to choose from.

According to the solution of this application, before judging whether the terminal device can access the network through a certain relay device, it first determines the relay selection policy applicable to the relay device. In contrast, if the relay selection strategy used by the terminal device is not suitable for the relay device, even if a side link connection is established between the terminal device and the relay device, the communication quality of the side link connection may be The expected effect cannot be achieved. On the one hand, it will affect the user experience, and on the other hand, it will also cause a certain waste of signaling (the side link connection may need to be re-established). Therefore, by adopting the solution of the present application, after the terminal device and the relay device establish a side link connection, the communication quality between the terminal device and the relay device can achieve the expected effect, thereby enabling the user to have a better experience. To a certain extent, signaling overhead can also be saved.

In addition, when a suitable relay device cannot be determined according to the first threshold and the second threshold, a suitable relay device may continue to be selected according to the first priority to the fourth priority.

The solution proposed in this application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3 . The solution shown in FIG. 3 can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 1 .

S301. The access network device #1 sends fourth information to the relay device #1 within its service range, where the fourth information indicates the relay selection policy #1 corresponding to the access network device #1. Correspondingly, relay device #1 receives the fourth information.

The access network device #2 sends fifth information to the relay device #2 within its service range, where the fifth information indicates the relay selection policy #2 corresponding to the access network device #2. Correspondingly, relay device #2 receives the fifth information.

In a possible implementation manner, the access network device #1 may send the fourth information to the relay device #1 in a broadcast manner. The access network device #2 may send the fifth information to the relay device #2 in a broadcast manner.

In another possible implementation, when the relay device #1 and the access network device #1 are in the RRC connection state, the access network device #1 may send the fourth information. When the relay device #2 and the access network device #2 are in an RRC connection state, the access network device #2 may send fifth information to the relay device #2 through RRC signaling.

The relay selection strategy #1 and the relay selection strategy #2 will be described below.

Case 1:

Relay selection policy #1 is applicable to all relay devices within the service range of access network device #1. Relay selection policy #2 is applicable to all relay devices within the service range of access network device #2.

Case 2:

Relay selection strategy #1 includes M relay selection strategies, and information on the geographic location range to which each relay selection strategy is applicable. It should be understood that the area served by the access network device #1 may be divided into M geographic locations, each geographic location has its corresponding relay selection policy, and M is greater than or equal to 2.

For example, Relay Selection Policy #1 includes the information in Table 1.

Table 1

中继选择策略#11Relay Selection Strategy #11	地理位置范围#11Geographic range #11
中继选择策略#12Relay Selection Strategy #12	地理位置范围#12Geographic range #12
中继选择策略#13Relay Selection Strategy #13	地理位置范围#13Geographic range #13

Similarly, relay selection strategy #2 includes M relay selection strategies, and information on the geographic location range to which each relay selection strategy is applicable.

For example, Relay Selection Policy #2 includes the information in Table 2.

Table 2

中继选择策略#21Relay Selection Policy #21	地理位置范围#21Geographic range #21
中继选择策略#22Relay Selection Policy #22	地理位置范围#22Geographic range #22

Relay selection strategy #23

Geographic range #23

Case 3:

The access network device #1 determines the geographic location of the relay device #1, and sends the relay selection policy applicable to the relay device #1 to the relay device #1.

For example, as shown in Table 1, the access network device #1 determines that the geographic location of the relay device #1 is within the geographic location range #11, and the access network device #1 sends the relay selection policy #11 to the relay device #1 .

Similarly, the access network device #2 determines the geographic location of the relay device #2, and sends the relay selection policy applicable to the relay device #2 to the relay device #2.

For example, as shown in Table 2, the access network device #2 determines that the geographic location of the relay device #2 is within the geographic location range #21, and then the access network device #2 sends the relay selection policy #21 to the relay device #2 .

S302. The access network device #1 sends first threshold information to the first terminal device within its service range. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first threshold information.

It should be understood that the function of the first threshold is as described above and will not be repeated here.

In a possible implementation manner, when S301 is performed according to case 2, the method further includes: S303, the relay device #1 determines the relay device #1 applicable relay according to the geographic location of the relay device #1 Choose a strategy.

The relay device #2 determines the relay selection policy applicable to the relay device #2 according to the geographical location of the relay device #2.

S304. The relay device #1 sends a first discovery message, where the first discovery message includes first indication information. The first indication information indicates a relay selection policy applicable to relay device #1, where the relay selection policy includes a first threshold. In a possible implementation manner, the relay selection policy may further include the first priority and/or the third priority.

Relay device #2 sends a second discovery message, where the second discovery message includes second indication information. The second indication information indicates a relay selection policy applicable to relay device #2, where the relay selection policy includes a second threshold. In a possible implementation manner, the relay selection policy may further include the second priority and/or the fourth priority.

Wherein, the first priority to the fourth priority, the first threshold value, and the second threshold value are as described above, and will not be further described here.

S305. When the power of the third reference signal sent by the access network device #1 received by the terminal device #1 is less than the first threshold, the terminal device #1 may initiate a process of selecting a relay device.

Terminal device #1 has received the first discovery message sent by relay device #1 and the second discovery message sent by relay device #2. Wherein, the first discovery message includes the first indication information, and the second discovery message includes the second indication information.

When the received power #1 is greater than the first threshold and the received power #2 is less than or equal to the second threshold, the terminal device can establish a side link connection with the relay device #1.

According to the foregoing method, FIG. 4 is a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device includes a transceiver unit 401 and a processing unit 402 . The transceiver unit 401 can be used to implement the receiving and sending functions in the method embodiments. Other functions in the method embodiments may be implemented by the processing unit 402 . The transceiver unit can be realized through the input interface and output interface in the data processing chip, and the sending and receiving in the method embodiment correspond to the output and input in the chip respectively. The transceiver unit 401 can also be divided into a receiving unit and a sending unit. The receiving unit can be used to realize the receiving function in the method embodiment, and the sending unit can be used to realize the sending function in the method embodiment. The receiving unit can be realized through the output interface of the data processing chip, and the sending unit can be realized through the input interface of the data processing chip. In addition, the transceiver unit and the processing unit may be implemented by the same chip, which is not limited in this application. It should be understood that the transceiver unit 401 in the embodiment of the present application may also be implemented by a transceiver (including a transmitter and a receiver) or a transceiver-related circuit component, and the processing unit 402 may also be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component (or, Called the processing circuit) implementation.

Exemplarily, when the communication device is a terminal device, the transceiving unit 401 and the processing unit 402 can support actions performed by the terminal device in the foregoing method examples. For example, the transceiver unit 401 can complete the receiving of the first information in the above method embodiment, and other processes in the technical solution described herein; the processing unit 402 can complete the process of initiating the selection of a relay device, and the technical solution described in this document in other processes.

Exemplarily, when the communication device is an access network device, the transceiving unit 401 and the processing unit 402 can support actions performed by the access network device in the foregoing method example. For example, the transceiving unit 401 can complete the acquisition of the relay selection policy and the corresponding scope of application of the neighboring access network device in the above method embodiment, as well as other processes in the technical solution described herein.

Exemplarily, when the communication device is a relay device, the transceiving unit 401 and the processing unit 402 can support actions performed by the relay device in the foregoing method examples. For example, the transceiver unit 401 can complete the sending of the first discovery message and the second discovery message in the above method embodiments, and other processes in the technical solutions described herein; the processing unit 402 can complete the determination of the applicable relay selection strategy, and Other processes in the technical solutions described herein.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, as shown in FIG. 5 , including: a processor 501 , a communication interface 502 , and a memory 503 . Wherein, the processor 501, the communication interface 502, and the memory 503 can be connected to each other through a bus 505; the bus 505 can be a peripheral component interconnect standard (peripheral component interconnect, PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (extended industry standard architecture, EISA) bus etc. The above bus 505 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus and so on. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 5 , but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The processor 501 may be a central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), a network processor (network processor, NP) or a combination of CPU and NP. The processor may further include hardware chips. The aforementioned hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a programmable logic device (programmable logic device, PLD) or a combination thereof. The aforementioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (complex programmable logic device, CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (field-programmable gate array, FPGA), a general array logic (generic array logic, GAL) or any combination thereof. Memory 503 may be volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (read-only memory, ROM), programmable read-only memory (programmable ROM, PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable PROM, EPROM), electrically programmable Erases programmable read-only memory (electrically EPROM, EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory.

The processor 501 is used to implement data processing operations of the communication device. The communication interface 502 is used to realize the transceiving operation of the communication device.

Exemplarily, when the communication apparatus is a terminal device, the processor 501, the communication interface 502, and the memory 503 can support actions performed by the terminal device in the foregoing method examples. For example, the communication interface 502 can complete the receiving of the first information in the above method embodiment, and other processes in the technical solution described herein; the processor 501 can complete the process of initiating the selection of a relay device, and the technical solution described herein in other processes.

Exemplarily, when the communication device is an access network device, the processor 501, the communication interface 502, and the memory 503 can support actions performed by the access network device in the foregoing method examples. For example, the communication interface 502 can complete the acquisition of the relay selection policy and the corresponding scope of application of the access network device in the neighboring cell in the above method embodiment, as well as other processes in the technical solution described herein.

Exemplarily, when the communication device is a relay device, the processor 501, the communication interface 502, and the memory 503 can support actions performed by the relay device in the foregoing method examples. For example, the communication interface 502 can complete the sending of the first discovery message and the second discovery message in the above method embodiments, and other processes in the technical solutions described herein; the processor 501 can complete the determination of the applicable relay selection strategy, and Other processes in the technical solutions described herein.

The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: global system of mobile communication (global system of mobile communication, GSM) system, code division multiple access (code division multiple access, CDMA) system, broadband code division multiple access (wideband code division multiple access, WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (general packet radio service, GPRS), long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (frequency division duplex, FDD) system, LTE Time division duplex (time division duplex, TDD), universal mobile telecommunications system (universal mobile telecommunications system, UMTS), global interconnection microwave access (worldwide interoperability for microwave access, WiMAX) communication system, the future fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) system or new radio (new radio, NR), etc.

Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be regarded as exceeding the scope of the present application.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working process of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or May be integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored, or not implemented. In another point, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, each unit may exist separately physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

If the functions described above are realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including Several instructions are used to make a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (read-only memory, ROM), random access memory (random access memory, RAM), magnetic disk or optical disc and other media that can store program codes. .

The above is only a specific implementation of the application, but the scope of protection of the application is not limited thereto. Anyone familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the application. Should be covered within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A relay selection method, characterized in that, comprising:

The first terminal device determines a first relay selection policy applicable to the first relay device;

The first terminal device determines whether to establish a side link connection with the first relay device according to the first relay selection policy.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that,

The method also includes:

The first terminal device acquires first information, the first information indicates N relay selection strategies and N applicable scopes, the N applicable scopes correspond to the N relay selection strategies one by one, and N is positive integer;

The first terminal device acquires second information from the first relay device, where the second information includes location information of the first relay device;

The first terminal device determining a first relay selection policy applicable to the first relay device includes:

The first terminal device determines the first relay selection strategy among the N relay selection strategies according to the second information, where the location of the first relay device is in the first Follow the applicable scope corresponding to the selection strategy.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that,

The method also includes:

The first terminal device acquires first indication information from the first relay device, where the first indication information includes information about the first relay selection strategy;

The first terminal device determining a first relay selection policy applicable to the first relay device includes:

The first terminal device determines the first relay selection policy according to the first indication information.
The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that,

The method also includes:

The first terminal device determines a second relay selection strategy applicable to the second relay device;

The first terminal device determines whether to establish a side link connection with the second relay device according to the second relay selection policy.
The method according to claim 4, characterized in that,

The first relay selection strategy includes a first threshold, and the second relay selection strategy includes a second threshold;

The method also includes:

The first terminal device receives a first discovery message from the first relay device, and receives a second discovery message from the second relay device;

The determining whether to establish a side link connection with the first relay device and the determining whether to establish a side link connection with the second relay device include:

When the received power of the first discovery message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is less than or equal to the second threshold, the first terminal device determines that the The first relay device establishes a side link connection;

When the received power of the first discovery message is less than or equal to the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold, the first terminal device determines that the The second relay device establishes a side link connection.
The method according to claim 5, characterized in that,

The first relay selection strategy further includes a first priority, and the second relay selection strategy further includes a second priority;

When the received power of the first discovery message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold,

When the first priority is higher than the second priority, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the first relay device;

When the first priority is lower than the second priority, the first terminal device determines to establish a side link connection with the second relay device.
The method according to claim 6, characterized in that,

The first priority is associated with the load of the first access network device, and the second priority is associated with the load of the second access network device;

Wherein, the first relay device is within the service range of the first access network device, and the second relay device is within the service range of the second access network device.
A terminal device, characterized in that it includes:

transceiver unit and processing unit;

The processing unit is configured to determine a first relay selection strategy applicable to the first relay device;

The processing unit is further configured to determine whether to establish a side link connection with the first relay device according to the first relay selection policy.
The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that,

The transceiver unit is configured to obtain first information, the first information indicates N relay selection strategies and N application scopes, the N application scopes correspond to the N relay selection strategies one by one, and N is a positive integer;

The transceiver unit is further configured to acquire second information from the first relay device, where the second information includes location information of the first relay device;

The processing unit, configured to determine a first relay selection policy applicable to the first relay device, includes:

The processing unit determines the first relay selection strategy among the N relay selection strategies according to the second information, where the location of the first relay device is within the first relay selection strategy. within the applicable scope of the policy.
The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that,

The transceiving unit is configured to acquire first indication information from the first relay device, where the first indication information includes information about the first relay selection strategy;

The processing unit, configured to determine a first relay selection policy applicable to the first relay device, includes:

The processing unit determines the first relay selection policy according to the first indication information.
An apparatus according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that

The processing unit is further configured to determine a second relay selection strategy applicable to the second relay device;

The processing unit is further configured to determine whether to establish a side link connection with the second relay device according to the second relay selection policy.
The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that,

The first relay selection strategy includes a first threshold, and the second relay selection strategy includes a second threshold;

The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first discovery message from the first relay device, and receive a second discovery message from the second relay device;

The determining whether to establish a side link connection with the first relay device and the determining whether to establish a side link connection with the second relay device include:

When the received power of the first discovery message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is less than or equal to the second threshold, the processing unit determines the The relay device establishes a side link connection;

When the received power of the first discovery message is less than or equal to the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold, the processing unit determines that the The relay device establishes a sidelink connection.
The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that,

The first relay selection strategy further includes a first priority, and the second relay selection strategy further includes a second priority;

When the received power of the first discovery message is greater than the first threshold and the received power of the second discovery message is greater than the second threshold,

When the first priority is higher than the second priority, the processing unit determines to establish a side link connection with the first relay device;

When the first priority is lower than the second priority, the processing unit determines to establish a side link connection with the second relay device.
The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that,

The first priority is associated with the load of the first access network device, and the second priority is associated with the load of the second access network device;

Wherein, the first relay device is within the service range of the first access network device, and the second relay device is within the service range of the second access network device.
A communication device, characterized by comprising: a processor and a memory, the processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the process described in any one of claims 1-7. described method.
A computer-readable storage medium, which is characterized in that it includes a computer program or an instruction, and when the computer program or the instruction is run on a computer, the computer executes the computer program described in any one of claims 1-7. Methods.
A system on a chip, characterized by comprising: at least one processor, configured to execute computer programs or instructions in a memory, so that the method according to any one of claims 1-7 is implemented.